Star Trek Maximillian: Forms of Life
by Chris C Stephenson
Summary: When the Federation News Network uses Lieutenant Squirrelly as their centerpiece for a quadrant-wide program, a jealous Skrit attempts to take control of the show.
1. Chapter 1

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The following story takes place after "Home Again

Forms of Life

Written by Chris Stephenson

1

**Prologue**

"And as you can see, we are very up to date, and prepared to deal with whatever is thrown at us, out here, in the great unknown."

Skrit walked in front of the camera crew, moving backwards, yet thankfully he was aware enough of his surroundings not to bump into anyone. That would be embarrassing, especially since his every movement, action, and word would be transmitted throughout the quadrant. He was pleased that he had been asked to lead the video tour of the Maximillian, which originally had been a onetime thing, started by Admiral Blobbin who believed that the Federation needed another face to Starfleet, other than the usual exploits of the Enterprise. The Maximillian was an obvious choice, not just because it was Admiral T'Kill's flagship, but also because it was an upgraded version of the Sovereign class Starship, and thus it could easily be called the most powerful ship in the fleet.

In addition to this, was the eclectic mix of cultures and crew members that served aboard the Max. Between the Androids, and the Vulcans, and a Betazoid that had recently joined the ship, coming aboard at Deep Space Nine but forgotten during the difficulties that had went on there, it put most ships to shame, since the Federation, though it had thinned out a bit in recent times, was still mostly human. Skrit was no exception, being a strange mix of energy lifeform and hologram, rendering him among the more valuable crewmembers on the Max. His unique abilities with energy made him a popular figure on the initial broadcast of "Starship Life: The U.S.S. Maximillian", which was split between him, Commander Tamak, the first officer of the ship, and LCDR Meowran, A Kaitian who headed up Stellar Cartography. After the response came in, it ended up with Skrit leading the camera crew around the ship on regular intervals, provided the Max was not on a mission that involved danger or secrecy. Since right now they were merely scanning a nebula, routine work only being done because they were so close to it after leaving Deep Space Nine, it seemed the perfect time to get the camera crew out to do an episode.

So it was that Skrit found himself, on the rare occasion where he wasn't assembling the Rapid Response force or filling a shift on the bridge, leading the crew through the bowels of the ship, telling them about the sights and adventures they had seen, and basically having the time of his life doing it.

He marched purposefully, happily through the decks, occasionally waving a hand through a bulkhead to demonstrate for his obviously captivated audience that his abilities were like almost no other, and even the famous doctor of the starship Voyager had fallen out of the public eye, working on his novels in relative peace. As he moved, Skrit described how his abilities functioned, and also alluded to how he came to be, without going into too much detail. He wanted to keep his audience hanging, just to assure that he would still have a place in their heads until the next episode, and the next, until finally he would reveal all, probably in some kind of special extended episode, or something like that.

He wasn't trying to get an ego about the situation, but he couldn't help it. He had been buttered up and talked about for several weeks now, everyone trying to get him in some kind of deal, or to sign some kind of contract. He had found, however, that he could be far more without signing contracts, without pigeonholing himself into a deal that he wouldn't be able to get out of no matter what he tried, and he wasn't interested in owing some shady Ferengi storeowner that wanted him to push his products on the show. He still had his principles, and his morals, and they would be enough to carry him through. They certainly had gotten him this far. He smiled as he spoke personally to the camera, as though he was talking directly to every person that was watching. He, of course, had no idea exactly how many people were tuning in at this moment, but he did know that the potential viewership of the show was in the tens of billions, all over the Galaxy. And he knew he was one of the more popular shows, so he felt knowing the numbers wasn't as important as knowing his role: The star.

Oh sure, other people could be the Captains and First officers, the Kelvoks and Picards of this time, and there were plenty more where they came from. But there was only one Skrit, one energy being held

together by emitters and complicated electronic equipment, one man that had fought the evils of the universe, saved his friends, and had and would be a part of the greatest ship in the fleet, no matter what the latest opinion polls showed. (The Enterprise, as usual running on their name alone, led in just the last weeks poll by a 67% margin. The Maximillian, as usual, out of the limelight, sat at around 5% most of the time, mainly voted on the list in the first place by former crew members and crew family.)

"Now my role here goes far beyond merely being the Maximillian's sole security chief. Not only are my abilities vital..." Skrit paused for effect as he passed a hand through a nearby wall, to the great surprise of the crewman taking the shower on the other side. "...but they are also very useful in a pinch. Why, earlier, Lieutenant Commander Jaydin was attacked, and nearly killed! Thankfully I, among others, was there to..." Skrit stopped, confused, when he realized that the camera had stopped following him, trailing off and back where Skrit had come from. "Um...guys..." They didn't answer, as he realized they had stopped filming him, in favor of following another crew member, a recent promotion to the vacated position of Chief of Engineering. A valued officer on the Maximillian, and possibly the only being on the Maximillian more unique than Skrit.

A human-sized squirrel.

The cameras followed Lieutenant Squirrelly as he walked, oblivious to their attention, engrossed as he was in a padd that he was working on to improve the warp drive efficiency by around 3%. He walked on until he heard the whirring of the cameras and the soft hum of the small jets that kept them floating in the air, improving the efficiency of the cameramen who controlled them with padds of their own. He stopped, and turned around, as the leader of the small group approached him.

"Excuse me, sir..."

"Oh...hi. Give me a few moments, ok? Kind of in the middle of something here..."

"Sure...do you mind if we get some shots?"

"Sure, go right ahead." Squirrelly walked along, his tail swishing along behind him, and the camera crew moved along with him, capturing every movement that he made as they began the short trip to Engineering.

Skrit looked perplexed, and began to follow them, by now far behind. "Hey, guys? Guys? ....Hey?"


	2. Chapter 2

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The following story takes place after "Home Again

Forms of Life

Written by Chris Stephenson

**1**

The strange looking group entered the main engineering bay of the starship Maximillian as they had moved for the last ten minutes, which had made the turbolift ride up a bit interesting. Squirrelly led the makeshift parade, his grey tail swishing behind him as he moved gracefully, walking purposefully to his destination where he could continue his work uninterrupted. Behind him came a group of floating cameras, small yet undeniably there, whirring and working in tandem with each other, sending the results of their taping back to some central office somewhere, where the final show would be edited together. Behind the cameras were a mix of operators and show hosts, the operators making corrections and staring at padds which revealed the screens that the technicians would get back at the office, and they focused and tweaked the displays until they were as good as they were going to get, and then they were

tweaked still. The show hosts were silent, for once, as they allowed the strange alien to be observed working in his natural habitat. Finally, behind all of them, and far enough back that he had to take a separate turbolift to reach engineering, was Skrit, more than a bit perturbed at the situation's change, and eager to return to the original plan, which was his tour of the ship. He kept clearing his throat and tapping at the operators' arms, trying to get their attention without interrupting the show and proving himself to the audience to be an annoyance, something he desperately wanted to avoid.

At this point, he definitely wasn't an annoyance to anyone. Indeed, he wasn't even on the radar of the operators, busily trying to get the cameras to the best vantage point to show the known galaxy and whoever else was receiving the transmissions this strange creature that had quietly been elevated to the prestigious position of chief engineering officer. The upright walking six foot tall squirrel glanced around the bay in front of him, noting his officers and where they were, and moved to a panel, hitting several tabs with his large, furry fingers.

For their parts, the officers in engineering adapted quickly to their new chief, not acting with any kind of derision at all, having been accustomed to strange new species that were either unheard of or unknown to most of the galaxy. They knew little of Squirrelly, only that he had some history with Captain Kelvok that he preferred not to discuss, which had led to his being advanced through the academy and related courses much faster than the usual cadet. Even that wasn't rare here on the Max, where many of the crewmembers were special cases, such as LCDR Starblade, the android who had went through the schooling quickly mainly because of his advanced technology. Since he already knew everything there was to know about the subjects he went for, and vast stores of others he didn't, there had been no need for him to remain in the academy. He privately joked they were tired of his winning the Starfleet Academy twice in as many years, even with his abilities toned down to more human-like levels. So there were no evil looks, no snide comments, only officers doing their job for their chief, who had filled the position left vacant by the Maximillian's first officer, who had only recently began to devote more time in command aspects, and following the latest developments throughout the galaxy, particularly the Romulan situation that was overwhelming the standard news channels, not to mention the classified communications that were winging from admirals to ships and back again.

Squirrelly looked with not a small amount of pride at his crew as they worked diligently at their padds and stations, marveling that this ship had welcomed him so readily and easily. While he had heard of the Maximillian's reputation as a "Different" kind of starship, it still came as a shock to him that he wasn't treated as anything special, but instead just as another member, as though he was human or Vulcan, or some other common species. Though as he thought about it, humans were pretty rare on the Mighty Max. The only thing that was making him nervous at this point was this obtrusive camera crew that had begun following him everywhere. He didn't care that they were there so much as that they were a potential distraction to his people, not to mention that because there were so many of them if there was a problem he couldn't guarantee they would all be able to escape. It was hard enough watching out for his crew, let alone the controllers with their expensive equipment. He swallowed his angst, thankful that after so long of nothing happening, and then two crisises in so short a time, things had quieted down again, allowing him to get back to his work without worrying about death and...plants, he thought with an involuntary shudder. Maybe, he thought, if he threw these people a bone or two, they'd be satisfied, and go back to taping... whatever they had been taping before.

He began to turn his attention to the cameras and the programmers, starting to put on a little bit of a show for them. He gestured toward certain parts of the bay, the warp core first and foremost. He used a small amount of scientific words to describe what he was showing them, not wanting to overwhelm them, or whoever was still watching this out there in the galaxy.

"This is, of course, the engineering bay of the Maximillian. It holds the most up-to-date technology available to Starfleet and the Federation, and trust me, it's used more often than you think.

"Over here you can find the controls, overrides, and panels for the warp core, along with the core itself, though I'm guessing you've already noticed that." The controllers of the camera chuckled a bit. The warp core, with its sharp blues and grays, and multiple moving parts inside the chamber, easily was the first thing anyone saw when they walked through the immense bay. Extending up and down several floors, the core was fairly unwieldy to work on, but it was relaxing to watch, and Squirrelly, along with many others throughout the ship, often came to Engineering on their break periods or their off shifts just to gaze at the core. Lieutenant Babs had made an interesting comment about it, calling it a 'really big lava lamp." It seemed to fit, though there really weren't any blobs moving around in it. Its light shone brightly enough to attract many, however.

As Squirrelly talked, he moved, and without realizing it he had begun a tour of engineering. Hanging on every word, the camera operators followed him up and down the lifts, a seething Skrit walking behind

them. More than once Skrit had thought about just using his energy form to shut down, or fry the cameras, ending the program and Squirrelly's little ego-trip before it really had a chance to begin. But he supposed that wouldn't be very becoming of a Maximillian officer, so he held his tongue and kept his emotions inside, save for shooting a dirty look at the oblivious Squirrelly every few moments. He remembered he had brought the tour down here once. Not knowing the ins and outs of Engineering, although he himself was only kept corporeal by the same equipment designed by the people who had designed this bay, and all the working systems in it, he couldn't give a very detailed explanation of the systems around him. But he tried, and that had to count for something. He really didn't have to do much, anyway, because the group had seemed to be impressed just by merely gazing at the technological wonders that surrounded them. And if it was good enough for them, it certainly was good enough for him. He knew he had done a better job than the squirrel anyway. He looked up at Squirrelly just as he stuttered on a word. Though he recovered quickly, it was enough for Skrit to feel superior about what he had accomplished already, and would continue to accomplish once this charade had reached a conclusion. Which it would, hopefully, in just a few minutes.

Skrit's hopes faded with each passing moment. The operators were now satisfied with setting up shots throughout the bay, so they could continue to watch Squirrelly, who by this point had stopped leading the

group and had returned to his work, seemingly ignoring the crew as he did so. Skrit shook his head, knowing that the squirrel was wasting what short time he had in the limelight, his fifteen minutes of fame disappearing into the ether as time moved. Skrit could feel his own time moving away just as much, and knew he had to act quickly, lest the squirrel ended up inadvertently closing out both of their careers before they began. He quickly moved from where he had been waiting, kind of leaning up against the outer barrier of the warp core, not the safest place to stay radiation-wise, but radiation of any kind would never be a problem for him, and made his way back to the chief operator of the camera

crew, obviously on a break, by the way he was sitting at a previously unoccupied chair.

"Hey, uh, sir...?"

"Ah, Lieutenant Commander Skrit. What can I do for you?" The operator spun around on the chair to face him.

"I was just wondering when we were going to get back to taping the show."

"Yeah...about that..." He stood up, and put an arm around Skrit, leading him around. "Look, I'll be blunt. The main reason we're here is because of the nature of this ship's personnel. We want some pizzazz on this show, something to make people jump up and take notice. Our first choice was Admiral Blobbin, of course, nothing plays better than shape shifters...but he was too busy back on Earth. Your abilities made you an easy choice to continue on in his stead..."

Skrit shook his head. "What changed?"

"Well...He did." He gestured towards Squirrelly. "I've never seen anything like him. Closest thing would probably be the Kaitians, but the tail and everything here...I'm not saying anything bad about your abilities, Skrit, they are most impressive. But it could only last for so long, we have to move on sometime. I apologize...maybe we can do something small with you later, maybe with the rest of the crew." He walked away from Skrit then, who was getting angrier by the moment. He seethed in Squirrelly's general direction, who had noticed Skrit standing there, but not noticing his emotions. He rode the lift down, passing the operator on the way, and met up with the energy being.

"Hey, Commander, what's up?" Squirrelly asked inquisitively.

"Ah, Lieutenant Squirrelly. Just the person I wanted to talk to...." Skrit spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Squirrelly didn't catch it.

"Are you here for your checkup? You know I need to go over your specs with you...can't have you fading out on us."

"Not exactly...You took my show."

"Excuse me?" Squirrelly took a step back.

"They don't want me to lead their little group ever since they saw you swishing your tail around like you own the place."

"Wait...hold on, I don't even want them!"

"Well, they want you, so be happy with it. You have to get them back to me, so I can finish."

"Skrit...see...They don't want to, though, you said it yourself. They want to stay here...I can't just kick them out!"

"It's easier than you think."

"I can't do that, you know why. We're under orders not to cause any problems while they're on board, we're trying to sell this ship. If I throw them out of Engineering, they might just decide not to come

back!"

"They won't leave the ship. Trust me."

"I'm sorry, Skrit, I can't do that."

Squirrelly turned, and moved away from the angry being. Skrit was breathing shortly, angrily, more out of habit than an actual need to breathe. He would take this up with the others...Yes, this is what he would do. This would be taken care of quickly, with no problems at all. Time to get things back to normal, he thought to himself, as he left sickbay, whistling all the while.


	3. Chapter 3

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The following story takes place after "Home Again

Forms of Life

Written by Chris Stephenson

**2**

"…This is a difficult request, at best, Commander."

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I just don't see why this is such a big deal."

Kelvok sighed inwardly, and crossed across his ready room. He had anticipated a problem of this nature when he had allowed the camera crew to come on board. Fame had its way of changing people into something they never had been before. While Lieutenant Commander Skrit wouldn't have been his first choice for who would suddenly turn like this, it was hardly surprising that he was having this discussion. As such, he had prepared for it.

"You were informed, as was the crew, that the producers of this show had complete control over who would or would not be allowed to participate. Over who would be able to be on screen. We have no real jurisdiction over their actions, and it would be improper for me to order them to restore you to your former status."

"So you'll do nothing?" Skrit asked, incredulous.

Kelvok shook his head. "It is not my call to make. Think of it as setting a precedent, Commander. If I ordered them to make a change on their show, and they followed it, suddenly I have become the director, instead of he who was chosen. If we follow this to the logical conclusion, this show will be seen as nothing more than propaganda for the Federation, and it's removal from the Maximillian will be swift."

Skrit sank deeper into the chair in front of the Captain's desk, even though Kelvok rarely sat there. "In other words, it's a lost cause."

"In other words, Commander, there are other deserving crewmembers on this ship besides yourself who could use a moment in the limelight. If you are as loved as you have stated, then it could be only a short time before you regain your post."

Skrit stood finally, ready to leave. This was rapidly approaching a dead end for his cause. "You didn't see them, Captain; they were practically drooling over him! He didn't even have to do anything, just swish his tail a little bit and…"

"Time will reveal if their apparent infatuation with Lieutenant Squirrelly is lasting or merely a fleeting interest. In the meanwhile, Commander, I have more pressing matters to attend to. I trust you will be able to settle this without me."

"Yes sir…what about Commander Tamak? Could he make a suggestion or…?"

"We're no further than we started, Commander. Commander Tamak is, and will be for some time, on special orders from Admiral T'Kill." This last part Kelvok said with some difficulty. "As such, his duties as First Officer have been suspended for the current time. Commanders Nato and Kragnar are also on assignment. If you must speak with anyone, I suggest your co-workers, and especially Lieutenant Squirrelly himself, if for no other reason than to get this settled. Now if you will excuse me…"

"Thank you." Skrit said, somewhat strained, and left the ready room. He was thankfully off shift at this point, but he didn't feel tired or in need of a recharge. At this point, he felt wired, energetic, still eager to at least make some headway with the producers. But how? Meeting with them again would lead nowhere, and he really didn't want to talk to Squirrelly again. He decided, as he reached the turbolift, that he would take his Captain's advice, and discuss this with his friends and co-workers. "Deck 3", he spoke into the air, and the lift shunted him there in less than a minute.

As he walked out into the hall, he had every intention of talking to Commander Starblade. But as he reached his quarters, hearing a terrible crashing noise from the interior, and then a pained sounding yell; "NO….no….Databit!....Get away from that rack…nooooo….", he decided to keep on walking. He didn't want to interrupt droidsitting, lest he get trapped with the diminutive android.

But where else could he go? Who else could he talk to, would let him ramble on about this obsession? For anyone else, he'd probably suggest medical help…

"C'mon Jaydin, you have to have some idea of what I could do?" It had clicked in his head. He had to go to sick bay anyway for a quick checkup, he might as well get a doctor's opinion on the matters at hand.

"I have about as much idea of what you should do, Skrit, as I do about your electronics." She sighed loudly, and grimaced as she received yet another shock from his emitters. She remembered why she went into medicine in the first place. Much easier than fooling with these parts and wires.

"But you know what it's like!"

"Know what's like?"

"To be the center of attention! All eyes on you, waiting for your next breath!"

"I told you, don't bring that up again."

He knew it was a sore spot for her, and that she was still a little unsure of leaving Bajor as it was, even though she didn't want to leave the Maximillian. But if it proved Skrit's point, he wasn't about to leave it alone. "Ok, forget everything else. You know you liked it, being up there on that stage."

She closed the panel to the emitter. Obviously she wasn't getting anywhere with the circuitry that enabled him to keep functioning. She closed her eyes, remembering what she wished she could forget. "Honestly, Skrit, I didn't. Thousands, Millions of people, just waiting for me to say the wrong thing, to screw something up. I don't see how you can stand that pressure."

"My electric personality?"

"Heh. Sorry, Skrit, I'm on Kelvok's side with this one. This isn't something we can help you with. Just like your emitters."

"Huh?"

"These things are far beyond any medical knowledge I have, near as I can figure it, they're taking in too much power from you. They're designed for holograms, after all, not energy beings."

"Will they last?"

"You need an engineer to answer that one, Skrit. Probably someone as qualified as possible." She hinted.

"Well, Commander Tamak's tied up with Starfleet stuff….oh, you mean _him._"

"If there's a problem that needs worked out, only way you're going to do it is by talking to who you have the problem with. And since the producers are only following him around…you know what you have to do."

"I tried that, I'm not trying it again. The emitters 'll be fine. I've lasted on them for this long, haven't I?"

"And if they go out, there goes your freedom. Stuck in a holodeck for the rest of your life. Ask Voyager's doctor how much fun Sickbay was. I'm sure after the first week it stopped being amusing. Try being a security officer trapped in one spot."

"I'll be fine, Jaydin." He stood quickly, gathering himself up, and moved quickly for the door, trying to avoid any more confrontations. Apparently, coming to sickbay was a bad idea. "No, really, it'll be okay."

"I'm trying to help you, Skrit! You came to me, remember!" She called as he was leaving.

"Thanks!" He yelled, already halfway down the hall. That had turned into a stunning failure, he thought to himself as he moved. He should have known that she was still smarting from the recent _Kaipar_ incident. Maybe in a couple more days she'd cool off, and he made a mental note to avoid sickbay until then. But now Skrit was at a loss. Who else did he know well enough to talk to about this? Indeed, who else would listen?

It wasn't until his next shift on the bridge, a quiet overnighter, when he found someone who wasn't sick or disinterested in his opinions on the matter. Newly transferred from the position of Chief of Stellar Cartography, Lieutenant Commander T'Purr Meowran hadn't ventured much outside her quarters and the large stellar cartography bay, so now that she was one of the main crew members, she was interested to learn all she could about her fellows. Naturally, at least in the beginning, she was interested to hear and discuss the situation.

"Yeah, I've been on a couple of different shows. Kaitians aren't the most common of species you know." She said proudly. "Always got a little twitch of stage fright, but it passes." Skrit was initially ambivalent to talk to her, due to the fact that she was essentially a giant cat, and since the problem in question was also a giant furry thing, he thought that it might be a lost cause. But, he had come to far to back down now, so he had instigated the conversation as they sat scanning the system, not finding anything, as was the usual norm.

"What do you think of Squirrelly?"

"He's fairly new, isn't he? I haven't had much chance to see him yet. I hear he's a nice guy."

"Yeah." Skrit said, somewhat non-committal. "I just…I don't know, wish that he'd realize that being on the shows probably isn't good for him…especially with all the work he has to do to keep this ship running."

"You mean you wish he'd realize that since you want it, he'd give it up." T'Purr chuckled. "I don't think that's going to happen, and if that's the case, then you might have to use your ace in the hole."

Skrit looked at her quizzically. "I don't follow."

"Ace in the hole. It's an old expression….never mind. Point is, I watched the show. You talked about maybe someday saying where you came from, how you came to be. Now I'm not a big-shot producer or anything, but energy beings don't come along very often, and your story has to be a bit more special than 'Mommy and Daddy squirrel had a big squirrel.', you think?"

Skrit nodded. And suddenly knew what he had to do. It was so simple! He'd offer them the story of his life! Where he came from, how he came to be on board, all of it. If he couldn't take it back by force, then he'd have to do it the sneaky way, but this way had more of a chance of working out…He stood, asking T'Purr to cover for him for a few moments. She understood, and allowed him to leave, with the caveat that he mention her on air.

She knew she had to stop putting off getting her eyes checked when she saw him leave, and for a quick moment he faded a bit, blinked in and out, then returned to his regular form. He didn't seem to notice, and the door shut behind him. LCDR Meowran took a quick look around the room, noticed that the rest of the night staff didn't seem to notice anything wrong, and she went back to studying the screen. Definitely something with her eyes…


	4. Chapter 4

For more information / To purchase this and other stories

Please visit maxwriters. pbwiki. com

The following story takes place after "Home Again

Forms of Life

Written by Chris Stephenson

**3**

_(Most of this chapter written by Nathan "Skrit" Cobaugh, specifically Skrit's origin. It can be found in it's original entirety at .com.)_

"Let's go over this one more time..."

As Skrit had expected, once he had brought up the subject of where he had come from, something the producers of the show had been clamoring for ever since he had first started having a part in it, he was met with a much warmer reception than he had the last time he had spoken with them. While the cameras were still on Squirrelly, at last now Skrit would have one chance to regain his spotlight. And he would give it everything he had to do so.

As the producer repeated what Skrit already knew, about which direction the camera would be facing and where he should be looking, Skrit realized how few people actually knew his story. Of course the Captain did, because he liked to know about each of his officers, not to mention that he was around when this whole thing happened. But friends like Babs and Jaydin and Critch, while they had made references to it on several occasions, had never asked any further probing questions. And Skrit never thought to tell them. It wasn't something they needed to know, or probably even wanted to know, really. The fact that he was who he was was good enough for them, and usually that'd be good enough for him to. But circumstances being what they were, it was time to come clean.

It was the middle of the night again, and Skrit stood at his security station, which had a few new spots on it for the cameras to rest, and also on his screen it showed his notes, just in case he forgot any particulars. Not like he could, he had lived it after all. He turned his attention back to the producer as he closed.

"You clear on that?"

"Crystal."

"All right Commander, we'll be live in a few minutes, so hang tight." As the time ticked away to his return, he wondered how they had talked Captain Kelvok into allowing them to tape on the bridge. The bridge of a starship, especially one as advanced as the Maximillian, was usually kept under pretty tight wraps. Though he supposed that with old enemies either crumbling away, in the case of the Romulans, or becoming friends, in the case of the Klingons, security was becoming less stringent than it had in recent times. He supposed that the producers had been told to keep their cameras strictly on him. It would certainly explain a lot.

The clock moved slowly in Skrit's head, and he passed the time by imagining the screens across the galaxy turning on, expecting to see the squirrel, but instead finding their old friend. He figured it would be a welcome surprise, and soon they'd probably forget Squirrelly ever existed. Who needed to watch boring engineering fix-it type stuff anyway. Security, that's where the action was.

"Showtime, Commander!" Skrit instinctively snapped to attention as the producer counted down... "On 5, 4, 3, 2..."

The producer started, happily. "Welcome to another installment of 'Starship Life'. Today, we continue on our journey through the systems with the U.S.S. Maximillian, NCC-74997, a Sovereign class starship that has seen quite a bit of action, and strange happenings throughout the universe. And no stranger to strange things is the Maximillian's own security officer, Lieutenant Commander Skrit! He's seen things we cannot imagine, I'm sure, but for today, we're going to learn a little about him, in his own words. So, without further time wasting from myself, let's turn this show over to our friend Skrit, and learn a little something..."

Skrit allowed the cheesy words of the producer to roll off him as he began talking, cautiously. "Thank you. For the past few days and weeks, I have received many messages wanting to know how I came to be, where I came from, and what I'm doing here. I couldn't ignore all the mail, so now, I will reveal my secrets to you, my audience.

"It began a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...well not really, but a good story starts with an embellishment, don't you think? It was a few years ago, after the Dominion war and the business with the Marconian invader. The Maximillian had been recently patched up, and a great patching job they did to, after losing a nacelle and having multiple holes punched in it, but I digress...The Maximillian was sent on a mission of science, to an uncharted sector, to an uncharted planet. The Chief medical officer at that time was a man by the name of Dr. Nathan Alexander.

"It was a routine assignment, and the rest of the away team had already beamed back up to the planet. He was using his tricorder on a rather unassuming plant...and then I happened along.

"How in my original form, I am a wave form energy that is able to coalesce into a cross between electromagnetic and chemical energy similar to cosmic dust and stellar winds. The closest form of energy that I come closest to resembling, by human comprehension anyway, is a solar flare. Due to my unique identity, my essence transcends existence as we know it into multi-dimensional levels. This is how I am able to briefly alter myself into energy patterns that I can become compatible with, such as certain types of EM frequencies like those on a starship, and so forth."

Skrit paused, to collect himself and also to let everything he had said sink into his audience, though he realized he probably just lost a good half of them with that little explanation. Nonplussed, however, he continued.

"Now I was just happening along, exploring the planet, when I picked up the energy of the tricorder. Now to everyone you know, a tricorder is simply just as it is, a scanning device, useful for all sorts of things. For me, however, never having seen one before, I took it as a means of communication. My mistake was, trying to communicate back.

"I attempted to merge with the tricorder, to try and understand it, and speak back to it. Almost immediately, the tricorder overloaded, and an electrical surge was sent through Dr. Alexander's body. The merging was a success, and I instantly knew everything about the tricorder, every piece of information inside it flowed through me, and I wanted to know more. I also instantly knew about the good doctor, and within a nanosecond I attempted to merge with his body as well, in order to keep him alive, instead of unknowingly committing a horrible act.

"I became aware of the damage being done, and absorbed the life and very spirit of Dr. Alexander. The body, myself included, was transported back to the Maximillian, directly into sickbay. Unfortunately, again, my essence was too much for the container to handle, and the body of the doctor began to vaporize.

"As my energy began to encompass his matter, I realized that I could not cause any further destruction. This could cause a matter/antimatter explosion, and I don't have to tell you how bad that would be. Rest assured, we wouldn't be sitting here right now. Thinking quickly, aware of my surroundings, I interfaced with the EMH emitters and pattern buffers, and sent whatever energy by-products that the circuits couldn't handle through the ship, directly into the warp core. I can tell you without ego that the Maximillian's efficiency was raised for no less than two weeks.

"What happened to the good doctor? He's a part of me, sitting behind my brain. I can feel him thinking, and we work together now, there's no sense of anger or animosity towards me. I think he understands that I didn't mean what I did. Occupational hazard, I guess. Because of him, though, I started off in the Federation on the right foot. All my knowledge came from him, and I'm sure that's one reason they let me go through the academy so quickly. The fact that I look just like him when I'm wearing my emitters can't hurt, either."

Skrit stopped, and bowed his head, but did not reveal if he was thinking, or remembering the fallen doctor. Then he straightened up, and continued.

"Regardless, they were convinced that my intent was to aid Starfleet by bringing a sense of security to volatile situations. My ability to convince to hostile parties to work together in the interests of prosperity and long life was what sealed the deal. Since then I've been involved in a number of first contact missions, not to mention some testy peace negotiations throughout the stars.

"As Starfleet was impressed with the level of trust that I could handle along with the responsibility of being able to make snap decisions in the face of adversity and overcome many obstacles, I became highly recommended for the Starfleet Marine corp. Again my effectiveness became apparent with expertise in forms of combat, discipline, and knowledge of multiple technologies.

"As a result of the skills demonstrated by myself to Starfleet and the UFP, I was permitted, on my request, to return to the Maximillian to serve as chief of Security. My accumulated knowledge and experience through Starfleet gave me the ability to construct more effective nodes to interface with which contain small shield generators that protect them and a higher frequency that permit me to modify certain patterns within the physical form that I take. This is how I am able to generate weapons and phase in and out which by the way causes a serious degradation of the emitters. Generating weapons is easy, phasing wears out the emitters which can only be constructed by utilizing the replicators and then manually adjusting them accordingly. Not that you care, but anyway...

"As you know, I now serve on the Maximillian, however, there are times when Skrit is called on from Command, Intelligence, and the UFP. This is one of the reasons I decided to build a ship on which to use for certain missions."

Skrit loved talking about his ship. "Due to the extensive data available through not only myself but that of the computer I was able to compile enough parts out of shipyards and junkyards to build The RSL, named after a great friend of the good doctor. Also, by use of the huge database I have learned all forms of combat that have been discovered throughout the history and exploration of humanity as well as contact with other alien life forms.

"Now, To avoid wasting energy I use no energy weapons whatsoever. When energy weapons are used on me, it's like feeding me a Sunday meal. My nodes, unfortunately, can only take so much, hence an additional buffer and tiny shields to protect them. My favorite weapons are swords, knives, and a Klingon medallion that I proudly brandishes on uniform which opens up to reveal three blades which symbolize the Klingon insignia." He paused to show it off. "The only time I materialize this medallion is on away missions and diplomatic functions with the Klingons as a sign of respect. Now, As I am pure energy I cannot be killed, at least not by your standard weaponry. I can be dissipated, however in time I can reassemble. I do not align with any particular religious treatise or doctrine. I am a companion and my only goal is to aid those who are in need.

"All technology on the RSL was utilized and combined from various technologies around the cosmos. I know other entities as well who also aid myself in working to help those in need. This is why I have built the RSL and why I proudly serve on the Mighty Max.

"And that's me, in a nutshell, so to speak. I hope I haven't used up too much of your time, so I'll send it back to our host. Thanks again, and I'll see you in the stars..."

The producer started talking again, but Skrit paid no attention. He had done it, socked it right out of the park, to use an old vernacular, probably picked up from looking at old sports memorabilia at Deep Space Nine. Everyone else, now, would have to play catch up. He was back in the driver's seat, where he always should have been, and nothing could stop him now...


	5. Chapter 5

For more information / To purchase this and other stories

Please visit maxwriters. pbwiki. com

The following story takes place after "Home Again

Forms of Life

Written by Chris Stephenson

**4**

Skrit sat happily at his desk, the lights dimmed in his quarters. It had been a few hours since the interview and his revelations, but he was still basking in the afterglow. He was on top of the universe again, having traversed the treacherous paths of fame and come out shining. All he wanted to do now was just sit and wait for them to ask for his return to lead the camera crew around the ship. He might even wait for them to beg. No, he wasn't going to put on airs, or try to make himself more important than he should be. Instead he would gratefully take his old position up, and everything would be as it was...except now the producers knew who really called the shots around here.

He put his hands behind his head and leaned back. Perhaps now that the truth was known, he could be even more creative with his energy powers. Perhaps even show his true form sometime...thoughts of this sort danced through his brain for some time, and he happily lost himself in thoughts of an ideal future. For a time, he even forgot his duties on the Maximillian, and imagined himself a great star, in holovideos and movies from here to Alpha Centrari, having fans throughout the various quadrants. He imagined aliens in far off systems receiving his images and watching, enthralled at his antics. Skrit closed his eyes and smiled, further disappearing into his fantasies.

He only got to enjoy his possible future for a few more minutes before he heard the familiar chime at his door. He sat up, and slowly rose, and then was surprised to hear an insistent knocking. Skrit reluctantly shook off the last vestiges of his dreams and came back to reality, then spoke the command to open his door. Almost immediately, the lead producer walked quickly into the room, looking angrily at Skrit. Before the energy-being could say anything, the producer stopped at the other side of the desk, and spoke. "We have a real problem here."

"Huh?" Skrit looked as confused as he felt, obviously not expecting the intrusion so soon.

The producer slammed a padd down on Skrit's desk, and after a minute of heavy silence, Skrit looked it up, and started tabbing through the various messages and mails that had been sent. "Go ahead, look at them, they're all the same." The producer said, sounding angrier by the second, and just a small amount worried. Skrit did peruse them, reading a few, his brow narrowed, and after a moment in which the world seemed to completely fall away from beneath him, he looked back at the producer, giving thanks that he couldn't perspire, because he'd be sweating bullets at this point if he could.

"How.....How...?" Skrit stammered, but he just couldn't get the words out.

"I'll tell you how, 'Commander'," The producer said with contempt. "They think you're a murderer! I've been getting thousands and thousands of messages, all telling me what a horrible thing this is, for the Federation to have a killer as a security chief! This is ruining us! Ruining the show!"

"But...I'm not a murderer! How can they think that?" Skrit was backpedaling, trying desperately to think of some way to settle this catastrophe. This had swung out of control so rapidly that he didn't know what to do.

"The doctor! Alexander! When you took over his body, it's not him anymore!"

"But he's alive! I can feel him! He's up here!" Skrit pointed at his head, his brain."

"They don't buy it, Skrit...this could be some real trouble for you."

Skrit sank into his chair, defeated. "I was cleared of any wrongdoing by Starfleet Command, by Admiral Blobbin himself...this shouldn't be an issue." He knew though, that this could happen, that this would come up someday and cause further grief for him. All thoughts of popularity and fame were pushed aside in his mind. All thoughts of his future scattered into the winds...

"Whoa!"

"Now what?"

"You...you just...I don't know, maybe it's something with my eyes, you just kind of...faded."

Skrit shook his head. "What? Never mind, forget it...what can we do?"

The producer stopped for a moment, and thought. "The viewing public are sheep, and easily distracted. We can probably whip up something that will take their minds off of you...but what..?"

Skrit put his head down. "The squirrel."

"Excuse me?"

"The chief engineer...I'll talk to him, you can do where he came from...and he can tell you first so you can make sure there's no problems." Talk about cutting off his nose to save his face, Skrit thought to himself.

"You think he'll do it?"

"...I guess if I'm going to be able to show my face in this galaxy again, he's going to have to."

"I'm a little busy here." Squirrelly wasn't exactly being as agreeable as Skrit hoped he would. He had went immediately to Engineering, despite the late hour, not really expecting to find the bi-pedal animal there, and was in fact hoping he wasn't. But there he stood, working diligently, trying to find an energy leak that was sapping efficiency from the Maximillian's warp drives. Unfortunately, it was becoming a bit of a pain to track down, especially as the hours moved on, and the constant buzzing around of the camera crew, which by now had lessened to one.

Skrit persisted. "This won't take much time, Squirrel. They like the origin thing, they want to hear where you came from..."

"More likely than that is yours didn't exactly meet with their approval, and you want something to take the heat off of you. How's that sound?" Skrit was silent. "I might look like a rodent, Skrit, but I don't act like one. Quit assuming that nobody's as smart as you."

Skrit sighed, shaking his head. He hadn't really expected his ruse to work, but Squirrelly was right, he had underestimated his intelligence. In the future, he'd have to think these things through a little more thoroughly. But there wasn't time for that anymore, so he just went with it. "You're right."

"Say again?"

Skrit cleared his throat. "You're right." He said again, a little louder.

"I don't think they heard you in the back..." Squirrelly motioned for the camera crew to come closer, and quit focusing on the hydrospanner precariously perched on the edge of the core. There had been rumblings lately of lax Engineering sections throughout Starfleet, and at least one ship had famously been damaged due to a lost hydrospanner into a warp core.

"Damn it, Squirrel..."

"Wait, I've got a better idea. I'll do it."

"...You will?"

"With conditions."

Skrit stopped, suddenly wary. "And they are?"

"One. A public apology, from you to me, here in Engineering, after this is over. Two. You finally let me adjust the settings on your emitters."

"You can't get off of that, can you?"

"It's serious, Skrit. They've been operating past safety limits for months now. If they go out, I don't know what effect they'll have on your form."

"I'll be fine." He tapped his chest proudly. "Pure energy, remember?"

"And nobody is immortal."

"Look, whatever you say, all right? I've got to get back to the producer and set this up. You'll tell him the story first, and then he'll air it."

Squirrelly retrieved the hydrospanner. "It's going to happen here then, I still have a lot of work to do."

"Fine." Skrit retreated then, leaving Engineering as quickly as he could. He had gotten what he wanted...but why did it feel like he had just lost?

Squirrelly squinted as he turned the last screw, closing the panel, and wished for the hundredth time that he didn't have to do this. He wasn't even exactly sure why he was doing this. Easier to smooth things over and make sure everything went well than cause more problems. He sighed inwardly as he straightened up, and looked at the expectant camera crew. He knew they were waiting on him, and he willed himself to become ready. He didn't like sharing his life story with anyone, especially strangers, let alone possibly the rest of the galaxy. But it was this, or something that could harm the ship. So, for the Maximillian, he thought, as he sat down, his tail curling up behind him. "I'm ready."

"Thank you Lieutenant." The producer said quietly. "This is just a pre-taping, we can edit it as much as we'd like later on, so take your time." Squirrelly nodded, as he watched the producer count backwards from five, and the little red light blinked on and off twice, and then suddenly, once again, it was showtime. But this time, it seemed more personal, more intimate, than the prior times he had been filmed. He took a deep breath, his tail flicked slightly, and he began.

"This isn't...easy for me to talk about...but it seems like the right thing to do. I don't really know my true origin, family tree, so forth. There wasn't really any need. When it started, I was happy. That was all I really needed to know, or all I cared about.

"At that point, from times I remember, we weren't aware of what planet we were on, or of other places throughout the worlds, or even of other forms of life besides what we were familiar with. We were where we were, and that was enough. An abundant forest of trees, food, water...I guess the closest thing that it could be compared to would be Eden."

His head lowered, and his tail drooped. "It was Betazed, I later learned. You know what happened to Betazed. The Dominion War. Wiped out a good chunk of the forests on that world, the water...I don't blame the soldiers, they were being controlled...but regardless, many of us died during the initial attacks.

"Afterwards, we had a quick lesson in the universe when we were ferried away, kind of smuggled, onto a freight carrier. And it ended up being a trap. There was a man...white hair, long white hair...attacked the freighter over some kind of money dispute, but there was no mistake, he was after us. Some kind of collector of rare lifeforms, you might know some of his allies, one of which went after Enterprise's Data a while before."

"Some of us were taken in the last battle, and then another ship came in. I don't recall the name, but I do know the officer that came aboard. Captain Kelvok, then just a lieutenant, was among the team that fought off the 'collector' and saved us. But there was a lot of damage to our ship, and we were near a warp core breach. There was a lot of radiation, and Lieutenant Kelvok collapsed. I was the last 'fur' left alive on the ship, the others either succumbed to the radiation or taken by the collector. I carried him out, using his badge as I had watched him do to get off the ship before it exploded.

"My life changed, I learned about the Federation. As thanks for me getting him off the ship, Kelvok and a few Admiral acquaintances of his sponsored my admittance into the Academy. As luck would have it, to make a long story short, though it's too late for that, I now serve under him.

"That is...pretty much how I came to be, in a nutshell. If I have any experience I want to impart on anyone, it's that...that there are always different forms of life out there, far far different than any of us can imagine. But where it counts, they're the same as us, and they should be treated as such. On this ship alone, we have androids, energy beings, races of all shapes and sizes...and one fur. And we all work together for a common goal.

"If I have one goal, apart from helping my crewmembers, it is that someday to discover what happened to my friends and family...But that is in the future. And that ends my story."

Squirrelly looked into the camera, a flash of sadness and anger for having to share his personal tale. "Is that good enough for you?"


	6. Chapter 6

For more information / To purchase this and other stories

Please visit maxwriters. pbwiki. com

The following story takes place after "Home Again

Forms of Life

Written by Chris Stephenson

**5**

"What the Hell did you think you were doing?" Skrit, to say the least, was angry. The past three days had taken their toll on him.

"What you wanted me to. Tell my story, take the heat off of you. And it worked." Squirrley was trying to keep calm, but Skrit wasn't having any of it.

"Oh yeah, it worked just fine for you, didn't it? Turned out just as you planned it, didn't it?"

The squirrel glanced around the main deck of Engineering, worried that the heated conversation was going to be overheard. Fortunately, nobody had even glanced in their direction…nobody except the ever present cameras, but by this point, he had grown to ignore their presence. "I don't know what you're talking about, and this isn't the time…"

"This was all your idea, wasn't it? Make yourself out to be the big hero, become a show off, thinking you're better than everyone…" Skrit's irrational paranoia was beginning to break through, and Squirrley wondered not for the first time external was affecting him.

"Calm down, I never asked for any of this, and I certainly am not going to take advantage of it. It's…a momentary distraction, that's all. It served its purpose. Now I believe you owe me two things…"

"I'm not apologizing to you! After what you caused? After what you've done?"

Squirrley shook his head, his tail swishing quickly back and forth. "Skrit, look at yourself. Something's affecting your emotions, you're all out of whack, I need to check your emitters…"

"You're not checking anything!" Skrit's face was red, and Squirrley could see sweat forming on his brow, sweat that shouldn't have been there in the first place. "Just stay away from me, Rodent."

"Skrit…"

Skrit was now backing away, glancing all around him anxiously, as though afraid there were attackers coming from every direction. There were none, but the commotion had attracted some onlookers…but no-one was looking at Squirrley or were being curious about the argument. Instead, they were staring at Skrit, and with good reason. His color was changing, going to a sharp blue, to green, to red again, then to his regular self. All of this happening as he was fading in and out, blinking in and out of existence, though his emitters stayed visible and at all times he was only gone half-a-second. Squirrley knew he had waited too long. The signs had been unmistakable…how could he have let this go?

"Just…ah." Skrit backed out the door, and moved quickly down the hall, heading towards a turbolift. He could feel something wrong now, a sharp twinge in his arm and his chest where the emitters sat on his uniform. He needed rest, he decided. This business with the squirrel had got him overly excited, and the events of the last few weeks…rest would solve everything…

This was the thought that was in his head as he made it halfway down the hall, and then collapsed, the pinching feeling that wasn't quite pain but was extremely uncomfortable. There was no-one around, otherwise they would have seen his body seem to become fuzzy, as though there was a lack of resolution. He rolled on his back, desperate to get control of his energy, which now seemed to have taken control of him. His vision faded, and the rest happened as if in a dream…

"_Skrit….SKRIT!"_

"_Lieutenant Commander Skrit has fallen down…he doesn't appear to be breathing…"_

"_He doesn't need to breathe you idiot! Get back!"_

"_Lieutenant Squirrley is…He's doing something with the emitters…lets see if we can get a closer look…"_

"_Hold on, just a little to the left…Damn it, I need space! Get back! I said get BACK!"_

_There was a scuffling, and a large bump…and all was silent…_

When Skrit awoke, he at first thought that it had been a very strange dream, and after he had realized that it had been too vivid, too real to have been a dream, he then thought he had made it to his quarters for the needed rest, until he realized he wasn't in his quarters at all. The beds of sickbay were far too uncomfortable for that to be the case.

Skrit quickly sat up, and realized that he was not alone. Jaydin was there, along with Captain Kelvok. He looked at them. "What happened?"

Jaydin looked at Kelvok. "Not me, you know electronics better than I do." Kelvok appeared to sigh, and looked back at Skrit. "According to the chief, your emitters were interfering with your own energy, resulting in a feedback loop that at first was limited to the emitters themselves. Eventually the loop spread back into your own body, feeding off of the energy found there. Eventually, he believes it started affecting your emotions, and from there your body itself."

"I feel…different…"

"Lieutenant Squirrley managed to correct the problem before it overtook your form…if he hadn't caught it then, the results would have been disastrous."

Skrit gulped. "Disastrous?"

Jaydin finished Kelvok's thought. "It could have shorted out whatever passes as your central nervous system. Not only wiping you out, but probably taking out a good chunk of the ship."

Skrit sighed, suddenly very aware of how close he had come to death, and how much it had been his own fault. "Thank you."

"Don't thank us! You need to thank Squirrley. You need to march down there right now and apologize to him. You caused him a lot of trouble in the last week or so. He's been pretty worried." Jaydin admonished him.

"Me! Apologize to him? But he…" Then it hit him that his feelings had changed. No longer was he wanting a part on the show, or anything to do with the producers and the cameras… now all he felt was shame. He rose quickly. "You're right. You guys coming?"

"We have a new crewmember to meet, Ensign Mela." Kelvok said.

"Mela?"

"Came aboard from Deep Space Nine. Betazoid. Keeps following Critch around." Jaydin shook her head. "I just don't see the appeal. You meet her later…Go!"

"Right." Skrit nodded. This had gone on for long enough.

Skrit entered Engineering slowly, wary of Squirrley's attention, wary even more still of the cameras that he knew would catch his guilty look. He was surprised to find that there were no cameras, no producers, no crew, not even any onlookers. Just Squirrley, as usual, standing in the middle of the bay, doing some tweaking with the warp core. He approached him, but Squirrley took notice of him. "I'm sorry, Commander."

"I…wait, you're sorry?"

"I should have realized earlier what was causing your emotional state. I think I caused you a rather awkward week."

"It wouldn't have happened if there hadn't have been something there to build off of. Now you worked on me, so I have one part of the deal left to take care of. I owe you that apology."

"Water under the bridge, or over the dam, or wherever you like it. It's over with. This past time never happened."

Skrit frowned. "Only if cameras didn't exist…where are they, anyway?"

"They left."

"Oh they…Huh?"

They walked through the Engineering bay talking. "Apparently the Enterprise android learned how to fly the ship or something. You should have seen them take off. At the end of it I don't think they even remembered the Maximillian's name. Even Kelvok was mad, though you couldn't really tell…"

Suddenly friends, the two walked and talked, and the Maximillian, a ship with a crew like no other, sailed through the cosmos, to their next destination….

"_Chief Security Officer's log, Only one thing of the last week or so is worth anything, and it's fortunately the only thing that I walk away from this embarrassment with. It's what Squirrley said, that on this ship alone, we have androids, energy beings, races of all shapes and sizes...and one fur. And we all work together for a common goal. There are many other forms of life out there, far far different than anything we can even imagine. But where it counts, they're the same, and that's all that matters."_


End file.
